The six Bonds are the next important element of the Bond films. Bond is clever, funny, good looking, classy and British. There have been six Bonds and they were:
1.Sean Connery
2.David Niven
3.George Lazenby
4.Roger Moore
5.Timothy Dalton
6.Pierce Brosnan
Sean Connery was the very first Bond to hit the screens in the 1960’s. The current Bond is Pierce Brosnan. Each actor who is chosen to play Bond is privileged because he’s one of the most popular characters in film. Over the years each Bond has brought new characteristics to the character. Making Bond more intellectual, and better looking! Bond is one of the only characters men want to be and women want to be with.
Ian Fleming wrote the Bond stories, but when he died writers such as Roald Dahl took over and wrote Bond scripts. This shows how the Bond stories have kept alive and with different writers writing scripts the stories always had different elements to the main stories.
What is it about the Bond films that make them appeal to so many people? Bond films appeal to so many people because they’re not just one genre they’re a mix. A Bond films has aspects of each genre; there’s romance with the Bond girl, there’s action all through the film with the fight to beat the bad guy, there’s adventure in the mission and also there’s a bit of sci-fi in the gadgets.
How do the films appeal to both men and women? The films appeal to men with the use of action and the beautiful women. How does the film appeal to women? Is it that the James Bond character is so attractive, or the plot? It can be a combination of both. The plot is easy to follow so it will appeal to about anyone and the attraction to Bond is why women want to see the films.
Over the years Bond films have changed to suit the changes in society and technology. The special effects, gadgets and camera techniques have changed they’ve become bigger, better and more exciting. This is shown when you compare an earlier Bond film to a more recent one. For example in “You only live twice” the effects aren’t as clever and technical as they are in “Tomorrow never dies”. Also the gadgets, which are given to Bond, reflect the technical advantage of the time. For example in the earlier film “You only live twice” the gadget of the film was a small helicopter, which had a machine gun on the front. In the later film “Tomorrow never dies” there is more than one gadget. There’s the mobile phone, which can electrocute people, drive Bonds car and track things. There is also the car, which is one of the main gadgets. The car is usually the latest model and always has some concealed weapons and a high Tec security system. As well as the effects and gadgets there’s the camera techniques, which have developed. The camera techniques have become quicker, stronger and sharper. Also in each of the shots the “mise en scene" has become more intense and there have been more elements. Also the stunts have become much more exciting and thrilling. This is to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Although in the films we expect some sort of chase and Bond always escaping from the Bad guy, the stunts used in these have evolved over the years to become more dangerous and life threatening.
Is sexism still present in the Bond films? Sexism has been present in all Bond films but now it’s not acceptable in our society. In the earlier Bond films the women were more like objects than have anything to do but stand and look pretty. They didn’t appear as much in the earlier films but now, because sexism isn’t acceptable, they appear a lot more. For example in these two films one in the early 1960’s and the other in the late 1990’s the role of women is very different, but they still end up being with Bond. In the earlier film with Sean Connery in (“ You only live twice”), the women in the film have hardly any part in it. The men do the bulk of the acting and the only part the women play is the sex interest between them and Bond. Also the way Bond treats women in the film shows that Bond doesn’t think much of them. You can see this in how he’s always with one woman after another and how he always flirts with every women especially Miss Moneypenny. Now in the later film with Pierce Brosnan (“Tomorrow never dies”), the women have more of a part in the film. For example the Bond girl is now an agent instead of just a regular girl. Also M is now a woman, which shows that the films are keeping up with society. There is still some sexism in the film though, because the villain is still a strong, powerful man, and even though 30 years have passed the Bond girl is still a strong element of the film.
All the Bond films seem to have the same simple plot. They also have the same aspects in each one as well. For example Bond is now always getting a new and improved car, which has just been or is going to be released in the market. The main elements of the plot in every Bond film are the same. They are:
- Traditional theme, logo, single gunshot, with blood.
- Bond is almost killed.
- Briefing of mission.
- New gadgets.
- After the Bad guy.
- Casino gamble/ game of skill.
- Fight with Bad guy’s henchmen
- Bond girl introduced.
- Help for Bond (e.g. FBI).
- Enemy spots Bond.
- Chase
- Fallen comrade.
- Bad guy’s headquarters found.
- Bond and company captured.
- Left to die.
- Bond saves self and company.
- Final combat.
- Bond gets girl.
- The end!
Also in the films the Bad guy always seems to be from another country, never from England, is that a hint of racism?
I am now going to compare the beginning sequences of both films.
In the beginning sequence of “You only live twice” there was minimal effects – only a spacecraft, and there were no gadgets, and the opening credits were traditional to Bond films.
In the beginning of “Tomorrow never dies” There was more effects – fights, planes, bombs, explosions, missiles and fights in the air. There were also a lot of gadgets – CCTV, computers, mini grenades, and data files.
The music for the beginning sequences of the films is written especially for the films. It includes the title of the song and hints at the plot of the movie.
In all Bond films there is the traditional opening credits in which there are silhouettes of women prancing around the screen. During this the theme song is being played.
The opening sequences catch the eye of the audience because it shows you a glimpse of the action and plot of the story. Also if it doesn’t catch the eye of the audience they won’t want to stay and watch the rest of the film.
I have come to the conclusion that James Bond still appeals to cinema audiences because of the way it has evolved over the years. The stunts have become more exciting and the camera techniques, special effects, and gadgets have become bigger and better. Also as different actors play Bond as the year’s pass he keeps up with society. Also as merchandise is being sold Bond is becoming a brand name. There have been magazines, cards and play sets, secret agent sets, etc. This keeps audiences interested even when there isn’t a film out. So as the technologies evolve, the films evolve with it and therefore keeping the audience’s interest.
